Stressed!

by Deborah Martin

  “I’m going to be at your thing? Isn’t that just for you guys?”

  “Aw, c’mon Amy. I’ve told you several times you’re a part of the family now. Just because you’re mundane doesn’t mean you can’t participate. You don’t even have to say anything. Just stand in circle with us. It doesn’t take long.”

  I guess I was going to participate in my first ritual or ceremony or whatever they called it, then. As long as I couldn’t mess anything up, and Cassandra assured me I couldn’t.

  Ev decided the afternoon of December 15th that he was going to throw a New Year’s Eve party. I almost hit the roof.

  “Do you have any idea how difficult it is to plan a party with two weeks’ notice?” I yelled.

  “Not a big one, Amy, or anything really fancy. I’ve already got the guest list written out and it’s only about a hundred people. I’ll bet Cassandra will do the catering, too, if you ask her. I’ve already called the bartending service. I’ll leave the rest up to you.”

  Thank goodness for computers and the ability to generate invitations on the fly. I gave the list to Sally and told her to get the invitations out yesterday, then headed downstairs.

  “You’re not going to believe this but Ev decided to throw a New Year’s party,” I said, catching the deli’s hall door so it wouldn’t slam against the wall after I threw it open. “Can you guys do the cooking for it?”

  “Based on what you’ve said, our fare isn’t what Ev typically serves at his shindigs, is it?” Cassandra asked.

  “He seemed to think your stuff is OK for this party because he mentioned you. So, are you solidly booked or can you come up with something?”

  “For Ev, we can fit it in. We’ve only got two parties that night and they’re both just appetizer-type stuff.”

  We sat down with their catering menu and came up with enough finger food for the few hours before midnight and then she called another catering company to do the breakfast thing after midnight.

  “This late notice is going to cost, you know,” she grinned.

  “Don’t I know it. But once he gets a hair up his ass about something, he doesn’t care about the cost, just leaves it to me to juggle all the money. Do what you need to do and send me the bill. I’ll have a count for you by the twenty-eighth, OK?”

  She patted me on the back. “Don’t worry. I’ve got your back.” I went back upstairs.

  “Did you look at the guest list before you gave it to me?” Sally asked when I walked back in the door.

  “No, why?”

  “Most of it isn’t the normal glam crowd. Jack and I are on it, as are Cassandra and Tommy, Cork from the pub and Tony, too. What’s he up to?”

  I had no idea but I was going to find out. I walked into his office and waited for him to get off the phone.

  “What’s up with the guest list?” I asked.

  “What do you mean?” He shot back.

  “Sally tells me it’s not your normal rub-shoulders-with-the-rich-and-famous list. She and Jack are on it, as well as Cassandra and Tommy. You’ve never invited them to any of your parties.”

  “I was feeling a little nostalgic. I’ve been watching you the last few weeks and I kind of miss being around normal people. I thought a party with people who really liked each other might be kind of fun. But it’s not all like that. I’ve been hearing some interesting rumors lately about some of our clients and a party is the best way to prove or disprove them. So, the guest list is a mix, OK?”

  “What rumors?”

  “Nothing I’m going to say anything about unless they’re true. I’ll let you know what, if anything, I find out after the party. Will Cassandra and Tommy cater it?”

  “Yes, for you they will. I think they’ll be a little surprised to find themselves on the guest list, though.”

  Chapter 19

  Cassandra’s parents arrived the evening of the twenty-first and I was invited over to the house for dinner. While I knew magical-type people didn’t age as fast as normal humans, I had a hard time containing my shock. Cassandra’s mother, Celeste, looked like her sister rather than a generation older. Not quite as tall as her daughter, she was just as thin and angular. Her hair was the color of dark honey with nary a strand of gray to be seen. Her father, Marcus, was closer to six feet tall and although his body was starting to show signs of a soft life, his face looked just as young as his wife’s. It was he who gave Cassandra her dark hair.

  “Amy, we’re so glad to finally meet you,” her dad said as he gave me a bear hug. “Cassandra should have brought you along on one of her trips years ago.”

  Her mom also hugged me. “Cassandra has no siblings but from what we’ve heard, she does now.”

  I blushed. I’m good at that. I think I managed to stutter out that it was nice to meet them, too.

  At dinner I was quiet, not having a lot to contribute to the conversation of catching up on relatives, plans for the next evening’s shindig and a heated discussion about the guest list for the handfasting. Celeste wanted to invite several relatives that Cassandra didn’t particularly care for and didn’t want at the ceremony.

  I left shortly after dinner, with the obligatory, “It was nice meeting you and I’ll see you tomorrow night”. Tommy and Cassandra knew I was a little uncomfortable with the whole family thing and besides, I had a very important – and private – phone call to answer later in the evening.

  The following day saw me back at the house just after sundown, bundled up to the point the only thing you could see were my eyes. It was bloody cold, even for December, and I’d been told the ritual would be held outdoors.

  “You came prepared,” Tommy said as he greeted me at the door. “Thankfully, it’s not a long ritual and we’ll be back inside before anyone gets frostbite.” I could see that Cassandra, her parents and another man I presumed was Tommy’s dad thought the same. They already had their parkas on and were pulling robes on over those.

  “The spirits really don’t care whether we’re indoors or out,” Marcus said. “But there’s just something about being outside under the sky that makes me feel so much better. That’s why we go outside no matter what the weather. However, I have to say I much prefer doing the winter ritual in Arizona!”

  “I’ll echo that sentiment,” the other man said. “Hello, Amy. I’m Tommy’s Dad, Rhys. We’ll all get to know each other once we’re back inside, OK?”

  Fine by me. The five of them trooped out the back door with me trailing behind. I had no idea what they expected of me. They formed a circle around Cassandra’s frozen-solid birdbath. Cassandra pulled me into the circle between her and Marcus and they both held my hands tightly. I looked up to see the moon shining brightly almost directly overhead. I’m sure there were a lot of stars, too, but between the nearly-full moon and the light pollution from the city, I couldn’t see them.

  Cassandra’s mother started to hum. The others joined in. It sounded like at any moment, they’d break out into a Gregorian chant. Although I could hear the hum, I also felt it in my chest, as if hundreds of bees all of a sudden swarmed inside my torso. It felt weird.

  The humming stopped as if Celeste had given some sort of cue that I missed. I was so discombobulated by the bees in my chest that I forgot to pay any attention to what she was saying. She said something and we all raised our joined hands to the sky while she continued on with her soliloquy. She said something else and our hands came down. Finally she said something that evoked a ‘so be it’ from the other five. We broke the circle and rushed back into the house.

  “So, Amy, how’d you like our solstice ritual?” Marcus asked me as we all shed layer upon layer of clothing. “Short, sweet and to the point, just the way I like them.”

  I blushed. Again. “I’m sorry, but after I felt all you guys’ humming in my chest, I sort of forgot to pay attention to the words.”

  Marcus looked at Cassandra. “Have you ever tested her?”

  “No. Apart from being able to shield which is no big thing, she’s never i
ndicated to me there was any ability,” came the startled reply.

  “Hang on. Test me? For what?”

  “If you actually felt the resonance of the hum inside you instead of just hearing it, you probably have a touch of magical ability yourself,” Marcus told me. “It may not be very strong or could be strong with development but we’d need to test you to see. We can do that while we’re here if you’re interested.”

  “This is all news to me,” Cassandra turned on me. “How come you never said anything? We’ve known each other for years.”

  “I didn’t say anything because I don’t know what you guys are talking about. So I felt the resonance of the hum. There were five of you doing it, you know.”

  Marcus put his hand on Cassandra’s shoulder. “Honey, she probably had no idea. Remember, she wasn’t raised in an aware family.” He turned to me. “If this is something you’re interested in pursuing, all you need to do is ask. Think on it. In the meantime, I just heard a bunch of stomachs growling. It’s dinner time!”

  Cassandra and Tommy had outdone themselves for the dinner. There was the usual garden salad with Tommy’s “famous” balsamic vinaigrette dressing, rack of lamb with a really interesting rosemary and mint sauce, a sweet potato soufflé, and Crepes Suzette for dessert. Everyone oohed and aahed as Tommy lit the dish and the flames whooshed up and then subsided. He served the crepes quickly so everyone’s dish still had dancing flames for a moment or two.

  We all helped clear the table, Celeste and I loaded the dishwasher, then Marcus served Irish Coffee in the living room.

  “Cassandra got the cooking gene from her mother. I, on the other hand, can burn water but am one hell of a bartender,” he quipped.

  I could agree with that statement. I’m not usually one for brown liquor but this went down as smooth as could be. Rhys had held off on his questioning but now he asked about the people I worked with. “Tommy’s obviously told me a lot about you as you’re so close to Cassandra but I’m really curious about your working with an ogre. They usually smell like shit and have such terrible tempers. How do you manage it?” Rhys asked.

  I grinned. “Ev’s really not that bad. He does make an attempt at hygiene that takes at least the first two layers of aroma off. He travels a lot, keeps to his own office most of the time when he’s in town, and I go through a lot of scented candles. As for his temper, he knows better than to yell at me and generally goes for a walk to cool off when things get bad. He deals with humans a lot and has learned he can’t really be himself around them.”

  We chatted some more then I said since tomorrow was a work day, I really had to go home and get to bed. Cassandra and Tommy said the same thing.

  “You retired people can stay up all night talking if you like,” Cassandra told the older people. “We working stiffs have alarms to answer to.”

  She walked me to the door. As I layered myself up for the walk home she said, “I hope you enjoyed your evening. I know it was sort of strange for you.”

  I hugged her. “Yes, it was a little weird but fun all at the same time. Your folks and Tommy’s dad are nice people. I’ll see you Tuesday morning. My coffee had better be ready!”

  I didn’t see much of Cassandra or Tommy the next couple of days. They were so busy due to the holiday season that all three parents had come in to help out … Celeste in the kitchen, Marcus and Rhys behind the counter.

  Because other businesses did, Ev held to the Christian calendar, so I got Christmas Day off. I happily plugged away at the new book, taking time off to trudge through even more snow for Cork’s Christmas Day spread. He gave me a kittie bag for Fudge, who regally accepted the gift of smoked salmon as his due. “Can’t forget the four-legged family members, now can we?” Cork said with a wink as he handed me the bag.

  Tuesday noon, I heard feet stomping up the stairs before the door slammed open and Rhys came into my office with my lunch in his hands. His face was almost purple with rage.

  “Did I do something wrong?” I asked.

  “Not you. That damned demon of yours made an appearance in the deli about a half hour ago. I had no idea who he was. When I asked him what he wanted, instead of ordering a sandwich he insinuated that I’d been alone too long and he had the perfect woman to cure the ache in my heart. I lost it. I first asked him who the hell he thought he was; told him no one could replace Bea in my heart, and then shot a “get out” spell at him. He just smiled as the spell bounced off him onto a paying customer, who high-tailed it out of the store.”

  He took a deep breath but the color remained in his face. “Tommy felt the spell and came out of the kitchen wanting to know what the hell was wrong. That jackass demon of yours smiled at him, then at me and said, ‘I can disrupt love just as easily as bring two together. I’ll be back.’ Then he vanished. It startled so many people that the remaining customers left without buying anything.

  “Tommy sighed and told me he was pretty sure that was your demon. Since we didn’t have anyone to wait on at the moment, he filled me in on your tribulations with the guy.”

  Wow. So many expletives from someone I’d been told was as calm as could be in almost any circumstance. I interrupted at this point. “Would you quit calling him my demon? Damn, Rhys, I’m really sorry he’s interfering with you now, but he isn’t mine.”

  “I’m sorry, Amy, it was a bad choice of words. He knew how to get to me. Bea was my soul-mate and when she passed on, I made a vow to stay true to her memory. I have female friends, yes, but I have no interest in dating again, much less anything of a romantic nature.”

  “What do you suppose he meant by ‘disrupting love’?” I asked.

  “That worried me, too, since he looked at Tommy before saying it. But I don’t know what else to do other than tell Tommy and Cassandra to be on guard and not let little disagreements turn into a full-blown argument.” He heaved a sigh. “Eat your lunch. I’ll see you when you drop the plate off.” With that he left, closing the door behind him much more quietly than he’d opened it.

  Sally came in just as I’d finished my lunch. I filled her in on the events in the deli.

  “Wow, Happy really gets around, doesn’t he?” she rued. “You know, he may be trying to get to you through your friends.”

  Crap. I’d never thought of that. “I’m assuming Tommy’s dad can hold his own with Happy. I can see him doing the same thing Adamo does, meet the woman and then find some reason not to date her, however much of a pain in the ass it might be. But if he screws up Tommy and Cassandra somehow, I’m not sure what I’ll do. I guess I just have to hope with all my might that someone comes up with his true name before anything else happens.”

  Sally agreed and we both turned to our work.

  The next evening the shit hit the fan. I was just sitting down to the computer when Cassandra called about eight o’clock. “Come over and bring a couple of bottles of wine with you,” she told me.

  “What’s up?” I asked, dreading the answer. We usually didn’t get tanked up on a Thursday.

  “I’ll tell you when you get here,” was all she said before hanging up.

  When I got to the house, I swear I saw smoke coming out of Cassandra’s ears. She was pacing around the living room. Wait. Pacing isn’t the right word. Stomping is a better description.

  “What happened?” I asked as I shed my outer clothing and headed to the kitchen to get a corkscrew and a couple of glasses. I spied Merlin under the coffee table – out from under foot but still in a position to keep an eye on his human.

  “Tommy. That’s what happened. That bastard thought he could just make changes at the deli without asking me. We’re not even married yet! It’s my company. He’s just an employee and has no right to do anything there without talking with me, first.”

  I handed her a glass of wine. “Take a couple of swigs of this, take a nice, deep breath and then tell me exactly what happened.”

  She took a swig of wine alright. Half the glass disappeared in one gulp and she resumed her sto
mping around. “A larger space two blocks down has become available. Tommy thought it was time we expanded and he talked to the owner about leasing it. The first I knew about it was when the guy walked into the deli with a lease in his hand, ready for Tommy’s signature. We’ve talked about growing the catering business but I wanted to be able to do it in the current space. I own that building free-and-clear, dammit. I don’t want to incur any more expense until the revenue warrants it. Who the hell does he think he is?”

  This was so not good. And it smelled like Happy. “Wow. First, where’s Tommy now?”

  “I lost it in the deli. After politely telling the landlord that I owned the company and I wasn’t interested in leasing his space at the moment, I went into the kitchen and told Tommy not only was he fired, he could damn well pack up his shit and move back in with his dad. I zapped him in the ass for good measure. His stuff’s still here but he’s not and that’s all I care about. I’ll throw his shit on the lawn tomorrow morning.”

  “No, you won’t. At least not yet. Did you ask Tommy about it?”

  “I was so pissed I just yelled at him. So no, we haven’t talked.”

  “Did you stop to think maybe it wasn’t all Tommy’s doing?”

  She stopped her pacing and gave me a strange look. “What do you mean, not all Tommy’s doing? Mr. Hancock said he was looking for Tommy Llewellyn regarding a restaurant lease. When I asked him, ‘What lease?’, he explained about the space and the fact that Tommy met with him yesterday about it.”

  “Did Rhys or Tommy tell you about Happy coming into the deli the other day?” I asked.

  “Of course. Happy threatened Rhys on some level but I know Rhys can handle it so I wasn’t worried.”

  “But they didn’t mention the fact that Happy said he could disrupt love as easily as bringing two people together, did they? Rhys said Happy looked at Tommy when he said that.”